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Dalton select board advances $1.318 million draft budget, sets preliminary warrant-article requests
Summary
The Dalton select board voted to advance a preliminary $1,318,036 operating budget to a public hearing and approved a package of preliminary warrant-article requests including $55,000 for highway equipment, $75,000 for paving and $55,000 toward a fire engine fund.
The Dalton select board on an evening meeting voted to advance a preliminary operating budget — cited in discussion as approximately $1,318,036 — to a formal budget hearing and approved a set of preliminary warrant-article requests for capital and reserve funds.
Chair moved the board to forward the draft budget for the public hearing, with members noting the number could see minor rounding adjustments before final adoption. The motion passed by voice vote; the chair emphasized the action was to advance the draft rather than to adopt a final budget.
Board discussion focused on staff retention and modest cost-of-living adjustments. Members said they had discussed building at least a 3% cost-of-living increase into wage lines; staff replied that a 3% raise had been incorporated for the highway department but not yet entered for all other departments. A staff example cited an increase that would move the tax-collector/town-clerk hourly rate from about $19.50 to $20.00. The board agreed the increases are intended as cost-of-living adjustments rather than merit raises.
On warrant-article line items, the board approved a preliminary package to be used with the draft budget: town-building capital reserve $15,000; sewer-pump reserve $2,000; highway department contribution $55,000; paving reserve $75,000; fire department vehicle equipment $55,000; fire EMS equipment $10,000; and legal fund $10,000. Chair said the amounts are preliminary and could be updated as staff finalizes figures for the public hearing.
Members also discussed capital-planning challenges for the fire department. Ron, who has been gathering pricing information, said recent basic engines run in the mid-$500,000 range and customized trucks can approach or exceed $1,000,000; he noted lead times of two to three years and the need for detailed specifications if the town seeks grant funding to cover most of a purchase. The board agreed to gather formal specs and cost estimates to support potential grant applications.
The board asked staff and individual members to assemble the revenue worksheets and finalize numbers before the next meeting so the public budget hearing packet will reflect the most current figures. The board scheduled follow-up work on capital projections and directed members to provide equipment age and replacement-cost lists to staff for a 10-year projection.
The motion to advance the budget and the motion adopting the preliminary warrant-article amounts were both approved by voice vote at the meeting. The board will hold the public budget hearing before any final vote to adopt the FY2025 budget.
